Elk in Cataloochee by a lone tree in the field

This weekend I went on a trip to the Cataloochee Valley in the Great Smoky Mountain National Park.  I joined the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences for this trip.  NC Museum of Natural Sciences

I was fascinated by the elk in this grass field with the lone tree standing as a sentinel on this cool, fall foggy morning.  Most of the elk were eating the grass or resting; however, the bull elks went at it antler to antler.  The sounds, the smells and what we witnessed in this male elk ritual, created a sense of awe in all of us as we stood spell bound in silence.   To see nature in all it's majesty instilled a feeling of reverence in our group that is still with me.  I have such a feeling of gratitude and respect for the Great Smoky Mountain National Park for preserving the land and bringing back the elk to this habitat for us any others to be witness to a day in the life of such a magnificent species.

You can read more about the elk in Cataloochee at Smoky Mountain National Park Elk.

Cataloochee valley in the Great Smoky Mountain National Park

Elk mating behavior in Cataloochee Valley 

Apples are one amazing fall treat from nature!

North Georgia Apples in October

I have been eating so many apples this time of year.  If you have not gone to a local apple orchard, I encourage you to do so soon if you live near one.  I visited the Mercier orchard this year in Blue Ridge, Georgia.  Each year I visit a different orchard.  Here is the website for the Mercier orchard.

Mercier Orchard

Here is link with some orchards that are near me.

Apple orchards near Asheville

Enjoy!  Crunch!!!!

Pumpkins everywhere I look...

I like to envision the people I know and meet in a unique way.  I liken my friends and family and coworkers, well everyone I know actually, as a vegetable, a fruit, or a tree...I liken my own self as a pumpkin in the fall.  Yep, I am a pumpkin type of human.  This time of year is such fun for me.  I love to look at pumpkins.  I decided to share my pumpkin findings with you, here on my blog.  Enjoy your fall!  Get outside, take your shoes off, and feel the grass under your feet.

Fall leaf changes in North Carolina

Acer saccharum, Sugar Maple

Cornus florida, Flowering Dogwood

Carya Glabra, Pignut Hickory

Fall color is in North Carolina and is showing in the Hickories, the Dogwoods, and the Maples.  On the Blue Ridge Parkway the reds of the Black gum, the Red maples, and the Sourwoods are coloring the mountains.  Get outside and enjoy!!!